fisher



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

H. L. FISHER & J. W. BALLARD.

RAILROAD SCALES. No. 398,824. Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

auve/wfozd/ .EJ'I/ Z .Esker and Jmzea WBaZlare 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. L. FISHER & J. W. BALLARD.

(No Model.)

RAILROAD SCALES.

Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

32913 tWMozmmgo UNITED STATES PATENT ()rrrcn.

HARVEY L. FISHER AND JAMES \V. BALLARD, OF TOLEDO, lOlVA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO LEANDER CLARK, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD=SCALES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,824, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed September 25, 1838. Serial No. 286,371. No model.)

To ((22 whom it may concern: arms on one side are crossed, as shown, so that Be it known that we, HARVEY L. FISHER and f the said crank-arms at both ends of the scales JAMES ll. BALLARD, citizens of the United will be simultaneously operated to rotate the States, residing at Toledo, in the county of rock-shaftsF in the proper direction to throw Tania and State of Iowa, have invented new the upper portions of the hinged levers out of 5 and useful Improvements in Scales, of which engagement with the upper hearing. The the following is a specification. I end of the arm K hasthe lower end of a link, Our invention relates to improvements in M, pivoted thereto, the upper end of said link scales, and has especial reference to devices 1 being pivoted to the shorter arm of the bent for raising and lowering the track-rails of railoperating-lever N, which is fulcrumed on the road-scales, so that they will be supported track-rz'tils of the scale, and is adapted to enrigidly when not in use and can be quickly gage a hook, O, secured thereto, so as to lock shifted onto their pivots when it is desired to I the scale firmly in its raised position. weigh the cars. P P designate a series of hinged levers, 1 Our invention consists in certain novel fea- 1 which have their lower members, S, secured tnres, hereinafter described and claimed. rigidly on the rock-shafts F and projected In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of l upward therefrom. The upper members, Q, a scale having our improved device applied of the levers P have their lower ends hinged thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view looking at to the'lower members, S, and their upper ends 20 the opposite side of a portion of the scales, resting in bearings R, secured to the under showing the scales lowered into position or j side of the track-rail of the platform of the weighing. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on scale. The lower member, S, of the lever P the line (0 o: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4c is a detail view is provided at its upper end with a transverse of one of the hinged supporting-levers, and 1 groove, T, which is nearly circular in cross-sec- 25 Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the adjustable tion, and projecting from one side of the memupper bearing for said lever. j berSis an obliquearnnl as shown. The upper Referring to the drawings particularly by member, Q, of the lever is provided at its opletter, A A designate the parallel longitudinal g posite ends with the cylindrical journals V Y. base-beams of the frame of the scales. f The lower journal V engages the groove T of 30 B designates the platform, and C the hangthe lower member of the hinge, and the upers for the same, all of the usual construction. per journal engages the bearing R, shown. At various points along the frame we secure 1 From one side of the member Q projects a the cross-bars D, and on these cross-bars we sepin, XV, which extends through a perforation cure the bearings E, in which are journaled in the upper end of the arm l4, and is prothe rock-shafts F, having on their outer ends vided at its extremity with a nut", X. The pin 8 the crank-arms G extending in opposite direc- VY ishinged to the member (3 of the lever, so tions from said shaft. The ends of these as to allow the proper movement'of thcmemcrank-arms are connected by the longitudinal hers upon each other. This coi'istruction, links or connecting-rods H, as shown. At however, is not essential, as the said pinsma 40 about the center of the scale we mount the be secured rigidly to the upper member or transverse rock-shaft I, having rigidly se-l formed integral therewith, and curved outcured to its outer end the three-armed lever ward and downward therefrom on the arc of If. Two of the arms of this lever extend from the circle of which the lower lj cariug V is the shaft inadiametrically-opposite direction, the center. A spring, I, is coiled around the 45 while the third arm, K, extends from the shaft pin \V, between the nut X and the arm I, for

at an angle to the said two arms. The ends a purpose presently set forth. of the aligned arms are connected bythelinks The bearing R comprises a base-plate, Y, L with the ends of the adjacent crank-arms the bearing-plate Z, and a wedge, a. The G, and the links L, extendingbetween the two I base-plate Y is secured to the under side of 5 arms of the lever J, and the adjacent crankthe track-rail of the platform, and is provided at one end with the depending lug b. Abearing-plate, Z, is secured beneath the base-plate Y by means of the bolts 0 0, extended vertically through the base-plate and the bearingplate, as clearly shown. The bearing-plate is provided 011 its upper side with an inclined groove, d, in which the wedge a rests, and the said wedge a is provided at its smaller end with a threaded cylindrical extension, 6, which projects through the lug b, and is provided with a securing-nut, f, turning up against said lug. By this means the wedge can be readily drawn inward or loosened to be pushed outward, so that the bearing-plate will be secured at the proper height for the successful operation of the hinged levers. On its under side the bearing-plate Z is provided with the depending ribs or flanges g h, having a concave surface between them. The flange h is somewhat longer or deeper than the flange g, and is arranged at the proper side of the bear-. ing-plate to limit the movement of the upper end of the hinged levers P. The upper bearing V of the hinged lever rests in theconcave recess between the flanges g h.

In practice the normal position of the parts is that shown in Fig. 1, with the members of the hinged levers aligned and having their upper ends engaging the bearings R. In this position the platform of the scale will be held off the hangers O C, so that the train can run over the scale without operating the same, and thereby causing wear of the parts. When it is desired to weigh a car, the lever Nis disengaged from the hook O and thrown upward, as shown in Fig. 2, and the motion of the lever is communicated through the several links and the three-armed lever J to the rock-shafts F, thereby rotating the said shafts and operating the hinged levers.

As the shafts F are rotated, the lower members, S, of the hinged levers will be thrown over toward the beams A, as shown in Fig. 2, of the frame of the scale, thereby lowering the lower bearing V of the upper member of the lever. At the same time the arm U will compress the springs 11 on the pins IV between said arm and the nut X, so that the said springs will exert a tension against said nut to prevent the upper member of the lever being carried outward by the motion of the lower member. The said upper member of the lever is thus caused to move outward at its lower end and downward at its upper end. \Vhen the upper end of the member Q has been lowered sufficiently to clear the flange g, the tension of the spring will be overcome, and the said lever will then be thrown outward into the position shown in Fig. 2, so that the track-rails of the scaleplatform will be supported by the hanger C, so that the car may be weighed, as will be readily understood.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a very simple mechanism by which the scaleplatforrn may be rigidly supported when not in use, and can be instantly released for weighing purposes when so desired. The several parts of the device are simple in their construction, and there are no complicated combinations or arrangements, so that it can be manufactured at a small cost.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is r 1. In an attachment for platform-scales, the combination of the series of transverse rock-shafts F, the crank-arms on the outer ends of the said shafts, the links connecting said crank-arms, the rock-shaft I, the threearmed lever on said shaft, links connecting said lever with the crank-arms, the hinged levers on the rock-shafts F, adapted to support the platform of the scale, the operatinglever mounted on the platform, and the link connecting the same with the three-armed lever, as set forth.

2. The combination of the platform, the bearings R, secured to the under side thereof, the transverse rock-shafts arranged below the platform, the hinged levers comprising the lower members secured rigidly on therock-shafts, and the upper members supported by the lower members and adapted to engage the bearings B when the two members are in alignment and be disengaged therefrom when the members are at an angle to each other, and mechanism for rotating the rockshafts, as set forth.

3. In an attachment for platform-scales, the hinged lever comprising the lower member, S, having the transverse groove T in its upper end and provided with the arm U, and the upper member having its lower end j ournaled in the groove T, a pin projecting from said upper member through the arm U, and a spring coiled around said pin beyond the arm U and secured on said pin, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the platform, of the base-plate Y, secured thereto, the bearing-plate Z, secured to said base-plate and having the flanges g h, and the concave recess between said flanges, the wedge adjustably secured between the base-plate and the bearing-plate, the hinged levers engaging the concave recess in the bearing plate, and mechanism for operating said levers, as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aifixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY L. FISHER. JAMES IV. BALLARD. \Vitnesses:

LEANDER CLARK, J. W. BALLARD, Jr. 

